Singapore inks 30-year nuclear deal with the US to study advanced reactors

Singapore has inked a 30-year civil nuclear cooperation deal with the US – a move that will give the city-state access to the superpower’s nuclear expertise and technical information that is under export control.

This comes as Singapore explores the possibility of tapping advanced nuclear technologies for clean and reliable energy – including a new innovation called small modular reactors (SMRs).

The deal, known as the 123 Agreement, was signed by Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday (Jul 31), at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ premises.

The agreement allows Singapore to deepen its civil nuclear cooperation with the US “in a way that’s consistent with the highest standards of safety, security and non-proliferation”, said Dr Balakrishnan.

“Given the advances in civil nuclear technologies, Singapore needs to stay abreast of any breakthroughs that occur,” he added.

Blinken noted that both Singapore and the US have “ambitious” climate targets, and have been working together on the clean energy transition, such as through efforts to decarbonise shipping.

“As Singapore decides whether to adopt civil nuclear energy, the 123 Agreement creates possibility; it creates a framework to develop safe, secure, modern civil nuclear power,” he said, adding that SMRs could increasingly be “at the forefront of nuclear power in the years ahead”.

Blinken is in Singapore for an official visit, as part of a six-country tour of Asia that includes Laos, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

The 123 Agreement is expected to come into force by the end of this year after a review by the US Congress, and will last for 30 years.

Singapore will also join a US Department of State programme that helps countries build advanced nuclear capabilities safely, known as the Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (First) programme.

This will give Singapore access to the network of US entities involved in civilian nuclear energy, including the US National Laboratories.

Under Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act, a nuclear cooperation agreement is required for the US to make significant transfers of nuclear material or equipment to other countries.

The US already has 24 active 123 Agreements as at July, including with the Philippines – which signed the deal last year – Indonesia and Vietnam. Other Asian signatories of the deal include China, India, Japan and South Korea.

Small reactors, big potential

SMRs could be a game-changer for land-constrained Singapore, as such reactors could potentially be as small as a quarter of a football pitch. However, the technology is still nascent and yet to be commercialised on a large scale.

With the 123 Agreement, Singapore can better understand advanced reactor designs and commercial developments. The deal would further facilitate knowledge transfer and training, allowing academics, businesses and government entities to collaborate.

It would also allow Singapore to deepen its participation in regional and international cooperation on nuclear safety.

On the sustainability front, nuclear power, which does not produce direct carbon emissions, could help Singapore achieve its target of hitting net-zero emissions by 2050.

The country currently relies on natural gas for about 95 per cent of its fuel mix. But nuclear power could supply about 10 per cent of its needs by 2050, a 2022 report commissioned by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) found.

That said, all options are still on the table and nuclear energy is just one of them, said Second Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng.

“Let me be clear: We have not decided... whether we’re going to eventually use nuclear energy or not,” Dr Tan told reporters after the signing.

“But what is evident is that recent technological advances, particularly in SMRs, have made it possible for us to start to look and see whether there are indeed newer types of developments that could enable us to be self-sufficient.”

Renewed interest

Singapore’s signing of the agreement comes amid renewed interest in nuclear power throughout South-east Asia.

Back in 2012, a nuclear pre-feasibility study by Singapore found that the nuclear energy technologies available then were not suitable for country yet, with the risks still outweighing the benefits.

But a decade on, the 2022 EMA report noted that recent advancements in nuclear technology have made it more safe. It recommended tracking developments not just in SMRs, but also in fusion reactors.

Nuclear fusion is an even more nascent technology, where instead of splitting uranium, nuclear power is generated from the fusion of hydrogen, mimicking how the sun produces energy. Unlike fission reactors, fusion technologies could still be decades away.

Deciding whether to deploy nuclear power “will require detailed studies of the safety, reliability, affordability, and environmental sustainability of nuclear energy in our local context,” the government said in a factsheet on Wednesday.

In the meantime, Singapore continues to deepen its research into advanced nuclear technologies. A new multimillion-dollar research building at the National University of Singapore, for instance, is set to support about 100 nuclear researchers.

Separately, Nanyang Technological University last year set up a research centre for nuclear fusion with France’s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, called the Singapore Alliance with France for Fusion Energy.

The city-state further aims to train at least 100 experts on nuclear safety in the medium to long term.

There are also other collaborations with the US. For instance, since 2017, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Singapore’s National Environment Agency have collaborated on nuclear safety matters and held a joint workshop in July.

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